Do you think contactless restaurants will stick around after the Pandemic?
Michael Davies
9 replies
I've been noticing more and more F&B startups building contactless tech for the F&B industry; think digital waiters, robots that deliver your food, there's even a kiosk that can make bubble tea without any humans involved. There's obviously a huge demand now but will they survive post-covid?
Replies
Sune B. Thorsen@sunebthorsen
I think restaurants will go back to normal, but services where you order your groceries online and then simply drive by to pick-up them up will most likely see continue high usage. It's simply more convenient than walking around a grocery store, and because of Corona, many have now been introduced to that way of shopping groceries.
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If it's working in covid era, why not give it a try post-covid? Surely it will lessen the cost of hiring human workers. Doesn't mean that there are no humans to serve at all. After all it would be weird to go to a restaurant and 100% be served with a robot/tech.
Yes I think the new automation / contactless tech is here to stay. But it will exist alongside conventional service. Restaurants will continue to allow ordering through an app or a device at the table, or let you just summon a waiter the traditional way. I think there is a market for both. I have been ordering from a QR code at my favorite restaurant for a few months now, but have friends (same age as me) who absolutely love the chit chat / human interaction with a server. I was never one who like to hear the 'specials for the day' and so I will continue ordering from an app as long as I can. I also think that gourmet ATMs will become more and more popular. Where you can walk up to a machine and get a freshly made, high quality cupcake or gourmet sandwich or even a well made cocktail, without the waiter or the table or the restaurant.
Homepage app
@michaeldavies I think contactless everything is here to stay. While somethings will go back to pre-pandemic status many businesses will at least give a touchless option for whatever they can. We launched our app a few weeks ago (a smart contact list that's always up-to-date) and our touchless info exchange through QR Codes is one of the features we've been getting the most feedback about. Check it out if you get a chance. It's free. homepageapp.com
This is going to stay because people now readily accepts that such a model works. It does not mean that people will abandon traditional eateries though, because hanging out will always be something that people want.
Geneva
I think these will stick around especially in urban and student settings where convenient grab-and-go meals are common. I suspect there will be an increase in services like MealPal where I can scan a barcode, grab my food and walk out the door.
Airpals
Hi there, I noticed a trend, some restaurants are expanding their offerings. I am the founder of Airpals, a B2B local courier providing same-day delivery service to small businesses. We've been delivering gift baskets from some restaurants. There is a trend of custom products produced by restaurants and its been a huge thing to keep this places alive while they are closed for indoor seating. We don't do food or grocery delivery but this products have a different dynamic so we decided to help this restaurants to reach more customers locally.
The emergence of contactless technology in the F&B industry has been nothing short of intriguing, with digital waiters, food-delivering robots, and even bubble tea kiosks that operate without human intervention. These innovations have undeniably met the demand for safety and minimal contact during the pandemic. Speaking of contactless dining experiences, I had the pleasure of dining at a restaurant in Germany that had a similar tech-savvy approach. You can check out my experience here on riwa-restaurant.de.